Bolt-on Brake Pads Adjustment?

Hi everyone,

I just bought an old nishiki road bike that has side-pull brakes. The brake pads are the bolt-on kind with a washer and bolt. No matter how much I play around with them, I can't get the brake pads to be at the right angle so that the complete surface of the pad hits the rim. I've been looking at some guides online and found this:

"...carefully align the pad so that it strikes the rim squarely when the brake is applied. This usually means manipulating spacers and/or washers, which allow angling the pad to strike the rim properly."

But I'm not sure what they mean by "manipulating". Thank you for reading and for your help!

Older calipers can have their arms bent slightly to toe-in brake pads. Using a couple of 6" adjustable wrenches tightened onto their slotted flats (that the pads are mounted to), push the handles in or out to adjust.
If this makes you nervous, you can always take some sandpaper to the contact surface of the pad to reshape it.

Older calipers can have their arms bent slightly to toe-in brake pads. Using a couple of 6" adjustable wrenches tightened onto their slotted flats (that the pads are mounted to), push the handles in or out to adjust.
If this makes you nervous, you can always take some sandpaper to the contact surface of the pad to reshape it.

Yes let's start modifying the caliper before we've even ascertained that the OP knows how to stack the washers, and is doing it correctly.

Makers of good brake-pad with mounting hardware - such as Kool Stop - have beveled washers. By turning these washers on their axis, they will change the angle that the pads with hit the rims. A little toe-in is easy and doesn't require twisting any caliper-arms. Doing this the first time is accomplished by trial & error. If you remember what the correct configuration looks like, the next time will be a breeze.